Learners' anxiety is a pervasive issue that negatively affects students' academic performance and well-being. According to a report which was conducted by the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) and the International Bureau of Education (IBE) of UNESCO, conventional exams and evaluations can place a stressful burden on students, potentially impacting both their learning process and memory formation in various manners. Typically, the timing of exams in relation to the memory phase or learning activity can cause the stress generated by such evaluations to be harmful to memory consolidation, ultimately leading to an overall less effective learning process (Bueno, 2021). Authentic assessment which is a valuable tool in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is inevitably affected by learners’ anxiety levels. According to Alsaif et al. (2020), implementing an authentic assessment in ESP requires careful planning and the development of appropriate assessment tools and rubrics to ensure that the assessment is valid and reliable. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of how anxiety in ESL learners can influence the development of authentic assessment. Although alternative assessments, particularly portfolio assessments, have been acknowledged as significant, their advantages and drawbacks with regard to anxiety levels among ESL learners have received relatively little attention. As a whole, this paper presents an outlook on the emotional aspect of portfolio assessments among ESL learners. This paper discusses the theoretical and practical underpinnings of the authentic portfolio assessment framework, as well as the potential benefits and challenges of its implementation in ESP classrooms. The findings suggest that the framework has the potential to alleviate learners' anxiety and enhance ESP proficiency by providing a more student-centered and authentic approach to assessment. Further research is needed to investigate the effectiveness and sustainability of the framework in different ESP contexts.

 

I possess two Master's degrees, one in English Literature, and another in English Linguistics. In addition to my academic pursuits, I have spent the last seven years teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses to undergraduate and postgraduate students at different universities.